Tolt Hill in Tolt MacDonald Park sits near Ames Lake at the heart of Carnation, Washington. The park and campground span both sides of Snoqualmie River. Meanwhile, 27 miles of bike paths strew the plateau over 70 trails.
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Tolt Hill and East Peak at a Glance
Access: Tolt MacDonald Park (PDF map)
Round Trip: 4.2 miles
Elevation Range: 60′-562′
Gear: none
Route Info: Joanne Najdzin
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Tolt MacDonald Park
I’d often driven through Carnation en route to the North Cascades, including once to the city’s high point. But it was our first time hiking here in Tolt MacDonald Park. Little did I know the extent of our biking system until last week’s trip plus today.
The park map showed private property over Ames Lake Forest. Perhaps it’s an old one since there were many marked trails throughout. I also don’t remember seeing any warnings and even spotted a few people around.
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En Route to Tolt Hill East Peak
We crossed the suspension bridge over the flat area and passed several yurts. Then for the next half mile, we followed the steep trail up 500′ to the top of the plateau. We reached the east peak after passing two trail forks.
Since Google images showed nothing much by the main summit, we took our photo break here. It was still misty after sunrise but warmed up rather quickly. Afterward, we walked down North Road, followed by West Road.
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Tolt Hill Summit Plus Exit
Clouds persisted as we strolled south and soon passed South Road. Then we turned left onto Tour de Stump at the first trail fork and continued. Right after the first switchback, we walked over the indistinct summit due to logging.
Several winding paths took us back to South Road before meeting East Road again. Then we went down the hidden trail and out into the open. After photographing by the bench, we returned to the lot with half a dozen cars.
See more trip photos here.